Newcastle United are heading into the business end of the Premier League season and there’s still plenty of work to be done, with the Magpies hovering just a single point above the relegation zone.
The battle to avoid a drop to the Championship is one of the fiercest ever and Newcastle are desperate not to endure an immediate return to the second-tier, after Rafael Benitez led the Tyneside giants to success last term.
Fortunately, Newcastle icon Alan Shearer firmly believes his beloved side will be successful in their endeavours as he predicted to The Sun that they’d avoid the drop- but he doesn’t believe Rafael Benitez will stay at the club.
“If Newcastle fans trust my judgement then I have good news. We are staying up. Just! It will be tight and may even come down to goal difference but I firmly believe we will do it.”
“I saw the draw at Palace and there is no lack of fight and commitment among the players. But more crucially, we have a top class manager in Rafa Benitez. Someone whose love of the Newcastle fans has kept him at the club through a tough time. He will not desert the ship and let it sink but nobody could blame him given the lack of support he has had from the helm.”
Shearer expects Newcastle to remain above the relegation zone and has picked the three sides he believes will play next season in the Championship, naming West Brom, Huddersfield and Stoke as the teams that will be relegated.
